xref: /frameworks/base/docs/html/guide/topics/ui/notifiers/notifications.jd

page.title=Creating Status Bar Notifications
parent.title=Notifying the User
parent.link=index.html
@jd:body

<div id="qv-wrapper">
  <div id="qv">
    <h2>Quickview</h2>
    <ul>
      <li>A status bar notification allows your application to notify the user of an event
without interupting their current activity</li>
      <li>You can attach an intent to your notification that the system will initiate when the
user clicks it</li>
    </ul>
    
    <h2>In this document</h2>
    <ol>
      <li><a href="#Basics">The Basics</a></li>
      <li><a href="#ManageYourNotifications">Managing your Notifications</a></li>
      <li><a href="#CreateANotification">Creating a Notification</a>
        <ol>
          <li><a href="#Updating">Updating the notification</a></li>
          <li><a href="#Sound">Adding a sound</a></li>
          <li><a href="#Vibration">Adding vibration</a></li>
          <li><a href="#Lights">Adding flashing lights</a></li>
          <li><a href="#More">More features</a></li>
        </ol>
      </li>
      <li><a href="#CustomExpandedView">Creating a Custom Expanded View</a></li>
    </ol>
    <h2>Key classes</h2>
    <ol>
      <li>{@link android.app.Notification}</li>
      <li>{@link android.app.NotificationManager}</li>
    </ol>
  </div>
</div>

<p>A status bar notification adds an icon to the system's status bar 
(with an optional ticker-text message) and an expanded message in the "Notifications" window.
When the user selects the expanded message, Android fires an 
{@link android.content.Intent} that is defined by the notification (usually to launch an 
{@link android.app.Activity}).
You can also configure the notification to alert the user with a sound, a vibration, and flashing
lights on the device.</p>

<p>A status bar notification should be used for any case in
which a background Service needs to alert the user about an event that requires a response. A background Service 
<strong>should never</strong> launch an Activity on its own in order to receive user interaction.
The Service should instead create a status bar notification that will launch the Activity
when selected by the user.</p>

<p>The screenshot below shows the status bar with a notification icon on the left side.</p>
<img src="{@docRoot}images/status_bar.png" alt="" />

<p>The next screenshot shows the notification's expanded message in the "Notifications" window.
The user can reveal the Notifications window by pulling down the status bar
(or selecting <em>Notifications</em> from the Home options menu).</p>
<img src="{@docRoot}images/notifications_window.png" alt="" />


<h2 id="Basics">The Basics</h2>

<p>An {@link android.app.Activity} or {@link android.app.Service} can initiate a status bar 
notification. Because an Activity can perform actions only while it is
active and in focus, you should create your status bar notifications from a 
Service. This way, the notification can be created from the background, 
while the user is using another application or
while the device is asleep. To create a notification, you must use two
classes: {@link android.app.Notification} and {@link android.app.NotificationManager}.</p>

<p>Use an instance of the {@link android.app.Notification} class to define the properties of your 
status bar notification, such as the status bar icon, the expanded message, and extra settings such 
as a sound to play. The {@link android.app.NotificationManager} is an Android system service that 
executes and manages all Notifications. You do not instantiate the NotificationManager. In order
to give it your Notification, you must retrieve a reference to the NotificationManager with
{@link android.app.Activity#getSystemService(String) getSystemService()} and 
then, when you want to notify the user, pass it your Notification object with 
{@link android.app.NotificationManager#notify(int,Notification) notify()}. </p>

<p>To create a status bar notification:</p>
<ol>
  <li>Get a reference to the NotificationManager:
<pre>
String ns = Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE;
NotificationManager mNotificationManager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(ns);
</pre>
  </li>
  <li>Instantiate the Notification:
<pre>
int icon = R.drawable.notification_icon;
CharSequence tickerText = "Hello";
long when = System.currentTimeMillis();

Notification notification = new Notification(icon, tickerText, when);
</pre>
  </li>
  <li>Define the Notification's expanded message and Intent:
<pre>
Context context = getApplicationContext();
CharSequence contentTitle = "My notification";
CharSequence contentText = "Hello World!";
Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(this, MyClass.class);
PendingIntent contentIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, notificationIntent, 0);

notification.setLatestEventInfo(context, contentTitle, contentText, contentIntent);
</pre>
  </li>
  <li>Pass the Notification to the NotificationManager:
<pre>
private static final int HELLO_ID = 1;

mNotificationManager.notify(HELLO_ID, notification);
</pre>
  <p>That's it. Your user has now been notified.</p>
  </li>
</ol>


<h2 id="ManageYourNotifications">Managing your Notifications</h2>

<p>The {@link android.app.NotificationManager} is a system service that manages all
notifications. You must retrieve a reference to it with the
{@link android.app.Activity#getSystemService(String) getSystemService()} method. 
For example:</p>
<pre>
String ns = Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE;
NotificationManager mNotificationManager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(ns);
</pre>

<p>When you want to send your status bar notification, pass the Notification object
to the NotificationManager with {@link android.app.NotificationManager#notify(int,Notification)}. 
The first parameter is the unique ID for the Notification and the second is the Notification object.
The ID uniquely identifies the Notification from within your
application. This is necessary if you need to update the Notification or (if
your application manages different kinds of Notifications) select the appropriate action
when the user returns to your application via the Intent defined in the Notification.</p>

<p>To clear the status bar notification when the user selects it from the Notifications
window, add the "FLAG_AUTO_CANCEL" flag to your Notification object. You can also clear it
manually with {@link android.app.NotificationManager#cancel(int)}, passing it the notification ID,
or clear all your Notifications with {@link android.app.NotificationManager#cancelAll()}.</p>


<h2 id="CreateANotification">Creating a Notification</h2>

<p>A {@link android.app.Notification} object defines the details of the notification
message that is displayed in the status bar and "Notifications" window, and any other
alert settings, such as sounds and blinking lights.</p>

<p>A status bar notification <em>requires</em> all of the following:</p>
<ul>
  <li>An icon for the status bar</li>
  <li>A title and expanded message for the expanded view (unless you define a 
    <a href="#CustomExpandedView">custom expanded view</a>)</li>
  <li>A {@link android.app.PendingIntent}, to be fired when the notification is selected</li>
</ul>
<p>Optional settings for the status bar notification include:</p>
<ul>
  <li>A ticker-text message for the status bar</li>
  <li>An alert sound</li>
  <li>A vibrate setting</li>
  <li>A flashing LED setting</li>
</ul>

<p>The starter-kit for a new Notification includes the 
{@link android.app.Notification#Notification(int,CharSequence,long)} constructor and the 
{@link android.app.Notification#setLatestEventInfo(Context,CharSequence,CharSequence,PendingIntent)} 
method. These define all the required settings for a Notification. 
The following snippet demonstrates a basic Notification setup:</p>
<pre>
int icon = R.drawable.notification_icon;        // icon from resources
CharSequence tickerText = "Hello";              // ticker-text
long when = System.currentTimeMillis();         // notification time
Context context = getApplicationContext();      // application Context
CharSequence contentTitle = "My notification";  // expanded message title
CharSequence contentText = "Hello World!";      // expanded message text

Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(this, MyClass.class);
PendingIntent contentIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, notificationIntent, 0);

// the next two lines initialize the Notification, using the configurations above
Notification notification = new Notification(icon, tickerText, when);
notification.setLatestEventInfo(context, contentTitle, contentText, contentIntent);
</pre>


<h3 id="Updating">Updating the notification</h3>

<p>You can update the information in your status bar notification as events 
continue to occur in your application. For example, when a new SMS text message arrives 
before previous messages have been read, the Messaging application updates the existing 
notification to display the total number of new messages received.
This practice of updating an existing Notification is much better than adding new Notifications 
to the NotificationManager because it avoids clutter in the Notifications window.</p>

<p>Because each notification is uniquely identified
by the NotificationManager with an integer ID, you can revise the notification by calling
{@link android.app.Notification#setLatestEventInfo(Context,CharSequence,CharSequence,PendingIntent)
setLatestEventInfo()} with new values, change some field values of the Notification, and then call
{@link android.app.NotificationManager#notify(int,Notification) notify()} again.</p>

<p>You can revise each property with the object member fields
(except for the Context and the expanded message title and text). You should always 
revise the text message when you update the notification by calling
{@link android.app.Notification#setLatestEventInfo(Context,CharSequence,CharSequence,PendingIntent)
setLatestEventInfo()} with new values for <var>contentTitle</var> and <var>contentText</var>. 
Then call {@link android.app.NotificationManager#notify(int,Notification) notify()} to update the 
notification. (Of course, if you've created a <a href="#CustomExpandedView">custom expanded 
view</a>, then updating these title and text values has no effect.)</p>


<h3 id="Sound">Adding a sound</h3>

<p>You can alert the user with the default notification sound 
(which is defined by the user) or with a sound specified by your application.</p>

<p>To use the user's default sound, add "DEFAULT_SOUND" to the <var>defaults</var> field:</p>
<pre>
notification.defaults |= Notification.DEFAULT_SOUND;
</pre>

<p>To use a different sound with your notifications, pass a Uri reference to the
<var>sound</var> field.
The following example uses a known audio file saved to the device SD card:</p>
<pre>
notification.sound = Uri.parse("file:///sdcard/notification/ringer.mp3");
</pre>

<p>In the next example, the audio file is chosen from the internal 
{@link android.provider.MediaStore.Audio.Media MediaStore}'s {@link android.content.ContentProvider}:</p>
<pre>
notification.sound = Uri.withAppendedPath(Audio.Media.INTERNAL_CONTENT_URI, "6");
</pre>

<p>In this case, the exact ID of the media file ("6") is known and appended to the content 
{@link android.net.Uri}. If you don't know the exact ID, you must query all the
media available in the MediaStore with a {@link android.content.ContentResolver}. 
See the <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/providers/content-providers.html">Content Providers</a>
documentation for more information on using a ContentResolver.</p>

<p>If you want the sound to continuously repeat until the user responds to the notification
or the notification is cancelled, add "FLAG_INSISTENT" to the <var>flags</var> field.</p>

<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> If the <var>defaults</var> field includes 
"DEFAULT_SOUND", then the default sound overrides any sound defined by the <var>sound</var> field.</p>


<h3 id="Vibration">Adding vibration</h3>

<p>You can alert the user with the the default 
vibration pattern or with a vibration pattern defined by your application.</p>

<p>To use the default pattern, add "DEFAULT_VIBRATE" to the <var>defaults</var> field:</p>
<pre>
notification.defaults |= Notification.DEFAULT_VIBRATE;
</pre>

<p>To define your own vibration pattern, pass an array of <em>long</em> values to the
<var>vibrate</var> field:</p>
<pre>
long[] vibrate = {0,100,200,300};
notification.vibrate = vibrate;
</pre>

<p>The long array defines the alternating pattern for the length of vibration off and on
(in milliseconds). The first value is how long to wait (off) before beginning, the second 
value is the length of the first vibration, the third is the next length off, and so on. 
The pattern can be as long as you like, but it can't be set to repeat.
</p>

<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> If the <var>defaults</var> field includes 
"DEFAULT_VIBRATE", then the default vibration overrides any vibration defined by the 
<var>vibrate</var> field.</p>


<h3 id="Lights">Adding flashing lights</h3>

<p>To alert the user by flashing LED lights, you can implement the default 
light pattern (if available), or define your own color and pattern for the lights.</p>

<p>To use the default light setting, add "DEFAULT_LIGHTS" to the <var>defaults</var> field:</p>
<pre>
notification.defaults |= Notification.DEFAULT_LIGHTS;
</pre>

<p>To define your own color and pattern, define a value for the <var>ledARGB</var> field
(for the color), the <var>ledOffMS</var> field (length of time, in milliseconds, to 
keep the light off), the <var>ledOnMS</var> (length of time, in milliseconds, to keep the light on), 
and also add "FLAG_SHOW_LIGHTS" to the <var>flags</var> field:</p>
<pre>
notification.ledARGB = 0xff00ff00;
notification.ledOnMS = 300;
notification.ledOffMS = 1000;
notification.flags |= Notification.FLAG_SHOW_LIGHTS;
</pre>

<p>In this example, the green light repeatedly flashes on for 300 milliseconds and 
turns off for one second. Not every color in the spectrum is supported by the 
device LEDs, and not every device supports the same colors, so the hardware 
estimates to the best of its ability. Green is the most common notification color.</p>


<h3 id="More">More features</h3>

<p>You can add several more features to your notifications
using Notification fields and flags. Some useful features include the following:</p>

<dl>
  <dt>"FLAG_AUTO_CANCEL" flag</dt>
  <dd>Add this to the <var>flags</var> field to automatically cancel the notification
  after it is selected from the Notifications window.</dd>
  <dt>"FLAG_INSISTENT" flag</dt>
  <dd>Add this to the <var>flags</var> field to repeat the audio until the
  user responds.</dd>
  <dt>"FLAG_ONGOING_EVENT" flag</dt>
  <dd>Add this to the <var>flags</var> field to group the notification under the "Ongoing"
  title in the Notifications window. This indicates that the application is on-going &mdash;
  its processes is still running in the background, even when the application is not 
  visible (such as with music or a phone call).</dd>
  <dt>"FLAG_NO_CLEAR" flag</dt>
  <dd>Add this to the <var>flags</var> field to indicate that the notification should 
  <em>not</em> be cleared by the "Clear notifications" button. This is particularly useful if 
  your notification is on-going.</dd>
  <dt><var>number</var> field</dt>
  <dd>This value indicates the current number of events represented by the notification.
  The appropriate number is overlaid on top of the status bar icon.
  If you intend to use this field, then you must start with "1" when the Notification is first
  created. (If you change the value from zero to anything greater during an update, the number
  is not shown.)</dd>
  <dt><var>iconLevel</var> field</dt>
  <dd>This value indicates the current level of a 
  {@link android.graphics.drawable.LevelListDrawable} that is used for the notification icon.
  You can animate the icon in the status bar by changing this value to correlate with the 
  drawable's defined in a LevelListDrawable. See the {@link android.graphics.drawable.LevelListDrawable}
  reference for more information.</dd>
</dl>

<p>See the {@link android.app.Notification} class reference for more information about additional 
features that you can customize for your application.</p>


<h2 id="CustomExpandedView">Creating a Custom Expanded View</h2>

<img src="{@docRoot}images/custom_message.png" alt="" style="float:right;" />

<p>By default, the expanded view used in the "Notifications" window includes a basic title and text 
message. These are defined by the <var>contentTitle</var> and <var>contentText</var>
parameters of the {@link android.app.Notification#setLatestEventInfo(Context,CharSequence,CharSequence,PendingIntent)
setLatestEventInfo()} method. However, you can also define a custom layout for the expanded view using 
{@link android.widget.RemoteViews}. The screenshot to the right shows an example of a
custom expanded view that uses an ImageView and TextView in a LinearLayout.</p>

<p>To define your own layout for the expanded message,
instantiate a {@link android.widget.RemoteViews} object and
pass it to the <var>contentView</var> field of your Notification. Pass the
{@link android.app.PendingIntent} to the <var>contentIntent</var> field.</p>

<p>Creating a custom expanded view is best understood with an example:</p>

<ol>
  <li>Create the XML layout for the expanded view.
    For example, create a layout file called <code>custom_notification_layout.xml</code> and 
    build it like so:
<pre>
&lt;LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
              android:orientation="horizontal"
              android:layout_width="fill_parent"
              android:layout_height="fill_parent"
              android:padding="3dp"
              >
    &lt;ImageView android:id="@+id/image"
              android:layout_width="wrap_content"
              android:layout_height="fill_parent"
              android:layout_marginRight="10dp"
              />
    &lt;TextView android:id="@+id/text"
              android:layout_width="wrap_content"
              android:layout_height="fill_parent"
              android:textColor="#000"
              />
&lt;/LinearLayout>
</pre>

    <p>This layout is used for the expanded view,
    but the content of the ImageView and TextView still needs to be defined by the application.
    RemoteViews offers some convenient methods that allow you to define this content...</p>
  </li>

  <li>In the application code, use the RemoveViews 
    methods to define the image and text. Then pass the RemoteViews object to the <var>contentView</var>
    field of the Notification, as shown in this example:
<pre>
RemoteViews contentView = new RemoteViews(getPackageName(), R.layout.custom_notification_layout);
contentView.setImageViewResource(R.id.image, R.drawable.notification_image);
contentView.setTextViewText(R.id.text, "Hello, this message is in a custom expanded view");
notification.contentView = contentView;
</pre>

    <p>As shown here, pass the application's package name and the layout 
    resource ID to the RemoteViews constructor. Then, define the content for the ImageView and TextView,
    using the {@link android.widget.RemoteViews#setImageViewResource(int, int) setImageViewResource()}
    and {@link android.widget.RemoteViews#setTextViewText(int, CharSequence) setTextViewText()}.
    In each case, pass the reference ID of the appropriate View object that you want to set, along with
    the value for that View. Finally, the RemoteViews object is passed to the Notification in the 
    <var>contentView</var> field.</p>
  </li>

  <li>Because you don't need the
    {@link android.app.Notification#setLatestEventInfo(Context,CharSequence,CharSequence,PendingIntent)
    setLatestEventInfo()} method when using a custom view, you must define the Intent for the Notification
    with the <var>contentIntent</var> field, as in this example:
<pre>
Intent notificationIntent = new Intent(this, MyClass.class);
PendingIntent contentIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, notificationIntent, 0);
notification.contentIntent = contentIntent;
</pre>
  </li>
  
  <li>The notification can now be sent as usual:
    <pre>mNotificationManager.notify(CUSTOM_VIEW_ID, notification);</pre>
  </li>
</ol>


<p>The RemoteViews class also includes methods that you can use to easily add a 
{@link android.widget.Chronometer} or {@link android.widget.ProgressBar} 
in your notification's expanded view. For more information about creating custom layouts with 
RemoteViews, refer to the {@link android.widget.RemoteViews} class reference.</p>

<p class="warning"><strong>Note:</strong>
When creating a custom expanded view, you must take special care to ensure that your 
custom layout functions properly in different device orientations and resolutions. While this 
advice applies to all View layouts created on Android, it is especially important in this case
because your layout real estate is very restricted. So don't make your custom layout too 
complex and be sure to test it in various configurations.</p>